WATCH: Footage from inside church records shots fired
A woman wearing a trench coat and her child opened fire at a crowded Texas megachurch before being shot and killed by a security guard, authorities said.
The suspect named by police is Genece Yvonne Moreno, 36, who was with her 7-year-old son who was seriously injured in the gunfight in Houston.
Investigators said the attacker had written “Palestine” on the butt of his rifle and also found anti-Semitic writing.
However, the motive is unknown.
A 57-year-old man was shot in the hip during the incident and has since been released from the hospital.
Police said the gunman’s unnamed son was shot in the head during the gunfight and is now “fighting for his life.” It is not clear who shot the boy.
Police said the suspect used an AR-15 rifle in the attack. She also had a .22 caliber rifle, but the weapon did not fire.
Officials said at a news conference Monday that the attacker had a history of mental health issues and an emergency detention order was issued in 2016.
Moreno has a long history of arrests and convictions on assault, drug and weapons charges, according to public records.
She previously used aliases, including Jeffrey Escalante, and is listed variously as a man and a woman in public records. Police described her at her press conference as a Hispanic woman.
image source, Texas Department of Public Safety
Officials say Genes Moreno has a history of mental health issues.
Police said they believe her apparent anti-Semitic views may have stemmed from a family dispute with her ex-husband’s family, which also includes Jews.
The scene of the shooting was Lakewood Church, one of the nation’s largest congregations run by the Rev. Joel Osteen, a well-known televangelist.
Moreno’s ties to the church are still under investigation, but local television station KHOU reported that her mother attended Lakewood.
The newspaper added that church staff may have been questioned during Moreno’s controversial divorce and child custody proceedings, Montgomery County court records show.
According to police, the suspect pulled up in a white car on the west side of the building at 1:53 p.m. local time (7:53 p.m. Japan time), just as a Spanish-language service was about to begin.
She showed the weapon to an unarmed security guard, who let her in and opened fire inside the church hallway around 1:55 p.m.
A 28-year-old Houston police officer and a 38-year-old Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) employee, both off-duty and employed as security guards at the church, fired back.
Officials said multiple shots were fired in the ensuing gunfight and the attacker was “neutralized” and was pronounced dead at 2:07 p.m.
Video: Officers share details about suspect in megachurch shooting
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said Moreno was seen spraying “some type of substance on the ground,” but investigators determined he was not a danger.
After she was shot, she told two police officers that there was a bomb, but a search by law enforcement found no explosives in her backpack or car.
TABC Chairman Kevin Lilly has revealed that his agency executive is Adrian Herrera.
He praised the two men for holding on in the face of gunfire, saying, “What happened yesterday was an embodiment of heroism and courage.
“They were the walls that existed between worshipers and terrorism. They existed between religious freedom and murder.”
Who is Joel Osteen and what is Lakewood Church?
Mr. Osteen, a 60-year-old televangelist, took the helm of one of the most popular megachurches in the country after his father, Lakewood’s founding pastor, passed away.
The 16,000-seat church was the home of the NBA team, the Houston Rockets, until it underwent renovations in the early 2000s.
Under Mr. Osteen’s leadership, the church has grown in size and reputation, with 45,000 parishioners attending weekly services in person, in addition to the thousands who watch online and on television.
It is the third largest church in the country, according to the Hartford Institute of Religion.
A woman broke into one of America’s largest churches and opened fire on Sunday.
“Our community is devastated by today’s events and grateful for the swift action of law enforcement,” Osteen said in a statement.
“In the face of such darkness, we must hold fast to our faith and remember that evil will not prevail.”
Mr. Osteen, known for promoting the so-called prosperity gospel, often preaches that financial blessings are a gift from God and has published a number of books promising that faith will increase wealth.
